Behind the stories
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Gowonda's Scars
Featured in The Dolphin Dreaming
In The Dolphin Dreaming, the white-haired Gowonda has scar patterns across his stomach. He would have had similar scarring on his back and shoulders. They were carefully created by cutting the skin and inserting ash to make the skin raised. Scars were given to children as a sign of coming of age. More scars were added to signify authority and experience. They were worn with pride. One of my Uncles, when asked about the intricate pattern of scars on his stomach replied: "They made me a man."
Aboriginal Totems
Featured in The Dolphin Dreaming
Totems are an Aboriginal way of protecting people, plants, animals and landscapes, developed over thousands of generations. A totem can be an animal species, a plant species or a landscape space.
Totems can be personal or belong to a whole family or clan. Personal and family totems are usually inherited from parents at birth. But totems can also be bestowed later in life, during initiation and in other ceremonies. "Totems protect everything by protecting one thing," Aunty Mary Graham - Elder.
Australian Lyrebird
Featured in The night bird Dreaming
The Australian lyrebird is the world’s greatest mimic. It can replicate the call of any bird in the forest with amazing accuracy. The lyrebird can also imitate any other noise it hears. Barking dogs, car engines - even the crackling of a raging bush fire.
In the rainforests of southern Queensland, there are reports of a lyrebird that imitates the sound of a cross cut saw. These long saws were used by timber cutters to fell trees in the early 1900s. Even though the saws have not been heard in the forests for almost 100 years, it is believed that the birds pass these sounds down through their generations as a way of impressing their mating partners.
Australasian Crow
Featured in The Spirit bird dreaming
Crow holds a special place in the Aboriginal landscape. Almost every Aboriginal community has a story about this wonderful bird. The stories vary greatly, highlighting different aspects of Crow’s complex nature. In some stories Crow is the hero. In other stories Crow is the villain. Other roles include being the creator, the clever one, the funny one, the vain one, the selfish one – but rarely the quiet one.
These traditional Aboriginal stories teach us that Crow has a truly incredible personality.
Pelican
Featured in The Dreaming Series
Few birds are as well-loved in Australian culture as the pelican. Perhaps it is its comically oversized beak and perpetual smile. Or the way it strolls statesmanlike along the water’s edge with an upright walk, pretending to be human.
And while those noisy seabirds such as the gulls and terns make a squawking riotous fuss about everything, the dignified pelican does not. Rather, it stands quietly beside us as we fish, issuing the occasion gentle honk to remind us they are there, as if they are actually trying to strike up a genuine friendship.
Willy Wagtail
Featured in The pelican dreaming
Some members of my family regard the Willy Wagtail as a messenger bird. If you see one, you are likely to get a message.
In fact, their word for hello is Jingeri – derived from the name of this happy little character.
So if you are lucky enough to see a Jingeri Jingeri, give them a friendly Jingeri, Yura or Maroomba Bigi to say hello. But be careful. They are also a bit cheeky and gossipy. So don't discuss secrets when they are around. You just don't know who they might pass the message on to.
Cat Bird
Featured in The pelican Dreaming
It is the kind of noise that makes bushwalkers stop in their tracks. A sound like a human baby, or a domestic cat, crying out in distress. The call of the Cat Bird is only a few seconds long, but it is confronting for the uninitiated.
Cat Bird, sometimes called Jigai, was dealt a fatal blow by the Quoll during the great battle that formed the coastline. Crying out in pain, it was carried by the other birds up the rivers until it found its final resting place. And there, to this day, it calls out to tell people of its sad fate.
Follow their adventures in...
The Dreaming Collection
The Dreaming Series comes in a beautiful five book box set that will be a treasured addition to your library, in the home or the classroom.